Spatial distribution of the upper classes in the metropolitan area of Madrid 2001-2011

Abstract

The territorial patterns of high classes could affect urban development, the management of municipal services and the unleashing of gentrification processes. The spatial patterns and links of socio-economic groups in the urban area of Madrid (CAM) are examinated by combining three perspectives: the multivariate analysis, the intensity level of residential segregation, and the clustering of municipalities based on the population’s obligatory mobility. The results indicate that the CAM has five major clusters of territorial specialization: three upper and upper-middle classes to the north and west of Madrid, one mixed to the east, which is the subsystem around Alcalá de Henares, and a lower class cluster in the south. The census track’s data show a strong level of segregation for upper and lower classes and a characteristically abundance of downtowns populated by lower classes. This configuration can be associated to the traditional dominance of Madrid and the monocentrism of the whole region.